Globalization and Change

some would say that the world is now flat, based on the fact that lighting fast communications have created a global economy. Friedman (2005) stated that technology and geo-economics is fundamentally reshaping our lives much more quickly than many people realize (Friedman, 2005). Faster communication means that people on opposite sides of the world can now collaborate in real time. This process of a virtually shrinking world with interconnected economies is referred to as globalization. Globalization was greatly sped up by the internet beginning around the year 2000. Suddenly it was possible for the whole world to be interconnected as countries began to develop the infrastructure to connect to the internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). However the WWW was not the first time globalization occurred. So far it has taken place in three main phases. Globalization 1.0 (1492 to 1800) shrank the world from large to medium via international trade of resources and imperial conquests. Globalization 2.0 (1800 to 2000) shrank the world even more to a small size. This was spearheaded by companies globalizing markets and using international labor. Around 2000, Globalization 3.0 began shrinking the world even more to a tiny sized world that seems to be virtually flat. Globalization 3.0 is different from 1.0 and 2.0 because it uses advanced communication technology to shrink the world and empower individuals. Most of these empowered individuals are diverse and are usually non-Western and nonwhite (Friedman, 2005). Friedman (2005) also writes that it is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and compete in real time with more people in different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of the world (Friedman, 2005). And why not? Sauve (2007) stated that time after time it has been proven that a large group of peers is more adept at solving complex problems than a small group of experts (Sauve, 2007). All of this globalization ultimately means there is a greater level of diversity in teams. It is not unusual these days for many people in the United States (US) to have co-workers in other countries. In the US, many businesses that remain based here have also taken a queue from globalization and teamed up employees from difference states. In order to make these diverse teams work, leaders and co-workers must practice inclusion. Inclusion is the practice where everyone is treated and informed equally with no bias based on race or geographical location. Young (2007) wrote that you must create an inclusive environment by changing the organization culture. Young goes on to say that a truly diverse organization has employees that actually have the freedom to stand apart, bring in different ideas and challenge what is entrenched. Above all, these employees bring their passion to their work and build a sustainable future for the business (Young, 2007). Globalization also leads to outsourcing and off-shoring, perhaps the two most obvious examples of major changes that affect almost every large organization (Anderson, 2003). Outsourcing and off-shoring are terms used to describe how jobs and manufacturing are moved outside the US using cheap labor and cheap raw materials. This has led to many job losses in the US. For those in the US that have been displaced, globalization can create personnel issues within an organization. This makes inclusion training for employees even more important. Globalization, diversity and technology advances can lead to challenging issues when creating training programs for today’s organizational teams. One possible answer to this, as posited by Sauve (2007), is where organizations tap into the expertise of the learners themselves by empowering them to teach each other (Sauve, 2007). Instructional design graduate students need to take globalization, diversity and technology advances into consideration when creating training programs. How to develop and present curriculum to a global audience full of diverse technologically savvy means having to be ready for just about anything. Designers should brush up on their diverse team member’s cultural “do’s” and “don’ts”. Instructional designers also need to adapt to new technology and become proficient at it. Additionally designers need to remember that the learner remains at the center of the instructional design process. What the learner needs to know, when, and how are essential in delivering information and instruction in the real world (Anonymous, 2010). Many organizations today also use process improvement based on Six Sigma methodology. This in itself can actually lead to off-shoring and outsourcing. As reported by Chakravorty (2010), Six Sigma aims to remove all processes that don't add value to the final product or service. However, many of the organizations that have implemented Six Sigma have discovered that nearly 60% of all corporate Six Sigma initiatives fail to yield the desire results (Chakravorty, 2010). In this light, not only does the instructional designer have to be aware of globalization, diversity and inclusion, but they also have to deal with a resistant to change culture which has been in "change overload" for some time. Diversity is very important. Learning about the culture of others. Being professional. As instructional designers we would take that into consideration. Diversity brings tolerance. It might help make the world a better place.

Innovation and Change

In an ever changing world, an organization needs to respond to innovation. To continue to be successful and to ensure its survival, the organization must realize “the importance of encouraging innovative thinking and the necessity of becoming a learning organization” (Dr. Bligh). To institute change successfully, there are three important steps the organization needs to take : 1) it needs to create an environment where making mistakes is seen to be part of the learning process (Padgaonkar, 2007). 2) It needs to create a unique and winning culture (Rogers & Meehan, 2007). 3) People in the organization need to continue learning (Harper& Glew, 2008) and so they acquire knowledge that helps them to implement a successful organizational design that allows them to survive in a competitive environment (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008). In an innovative environment, members of the organization must feel comfortable making mistakes without the fear of punishment as “experimentation will lead to errors and that errors are learning experiences” (Padgaonkar, 2007, 15). History bears witness to how mistakes have led to greater inventions. A classic example to illustrate this point is the invention of the Post- It notes. Spencer Silver’s experimentation to produce stronger glue failed; instead he was left with something that was much weaker. Silver didn’t throw the glue away and so a few years later Arthur Fry needed something to keep his hymn markers in place. He remembered the glue and used some on his markers, which lead to the birth of the Post- It note. Fry continued to experiment and the Post- It note went through a process of trial and error to make it marketable (Smithsonian). Had 3m not encouraged errors, Silver would not have shared this information with anyone and would have discarded the glue. The result would have been that we would have been left without a wonderful invention. This case also illustrates that organizations “need to instigate learning by making deliberate mistakes” (Padgaonkar, 2007, 15). Sometimes errors can lead to other inventions and sometimes they are needed to improve existing products. For an organization to have the competitive edge it needs to build a winning culture. This is the symbolic glue that holds the organization together and it “inspires loyalty in employees and makes them want to be part of a team” (Rogers & Meehan, 2007, 254). For an organization to create a winning culture it must put its members first. An example of this is the U.K. based IT solutions company Softcat. When the company initially started the Softcat chairman, Peter Kelly, stated clearly that his staff’s happiness was his greatest priority. On the company’s webpage, where each member is introduced, the caption under Kelly’s photograph states “passionate about staff happiness” (http://www.softcat.com/who-we-are/meet-the-people). The captions under each team member starts of with “passionate about”. Clearly Softcat has built a culture around passion. Whether is a passion for the staff or the work they do, Softcat members are part of a unified culture which believes in being passionate. Part of the winning culture is communication with members (Rogers & Meehan, 2007) and “Kelly instilled a democratic ethos from the start, involving staff in company-wide decisions and communicating everything that goes on in the business to employees” (Director, 2011, n.d). Celebration is also an important aspect of the winning culture (Rogers & Meehan, 2007) and so Kelly treats his top performing staff to U.Ks best restaurants and incentive trips (Director, 2011, n.d.). Due to the amazing winning culture of Softcat and Kelly, “This year his 300-employee company is on track to turn over £200m” (Director, 2011, n.d). Sofcats’ case illustrates that creating a winning culture can have a huge impact on the company’s performance. Culture has a huge part in innovation and in an organizational culture “where employees are always listened to, their ideas taken on board, and they are encouraged to do a certain amount of autonomous working” (Director, 2011, n.d) success is imminent. Another important aspect of a successful organization is its belief in learning as “the primary responsibility business leaders have is to develop firms that will be more successful tomorrow than today” (Harper & Glew, 2008, 27). The only way this can be achieved is if the organization encourages innovative thinking. Members would have to assess internal and external factors and then use that knowledge to implement a successful strategy to help the organization survive (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008). The Amway Corporation is a good example of this. When Amway started in the early 1950s, it only sold one product. Over the decades it added more products that would satisfy customer demands and with new technologies emerging, it started to rely on research to make its products better (Amway, 2011, n.d) . Amway started off as a door to door business, but with the emergence of e-business, it quickly went online as it realized it “must be able to offer products and services that give them a competitive edge” (Harper& Glew, 2008, 27). Like Amazon.com Amway redesigned its structure to reflect “the importance of innovation and the ability to learn from advanced IT”(Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008, 430). With the progression of IT and its capability to connect markets globally, Amway expanded its business to 80 countries. Now individuals who join Amway can own businesses in multiple countries. Had Amway not reorganized its structure and strategy and adopted the innovative technology, it would still be a company operating in just the U.S. Even though Amway reorganized to reflect the technology, it still emphasizes its original vision from the 1950s as it declares on its website “The world may change but our values and vision remains the same” (Amway, 2011, n.d). Organizations, for the sake of survival, must ensure that they continue to foster new and innovative ideas. During this process managers need to accept mistakes as part of the learning process and sometimes for innovation to take off, they may have to encourage mistakes. Additionally, leaders and members need to continue to scan the internal and external environment to gain knowledge. They must then use this knowledge to restructure or reorganize and adopt innovation to compete in a global market. Part of this process has to be creating a winning culture that focuses on relationships and actively celebrates success. Without these steps, the organization may find itself to be out of date and soon extinct. Organizational Behavior (10th ed.) by Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. Copyright 2008 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. Harper, S. C., & Glew, D. J. (2008). Is your organization learning-impaired? Industrial Management, 50(2), 26–30. Rogers, P., & Meehan, P. (2007). Building a winning culture. Business Strategy Series, 8(4), 254–261. Video Program “Fostering Innovation” Dr. Michelle Bligh http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/iap/inventors_fry2.html http://www.softcat.com/who-we-are/meet-the-people http://www.director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2011/3_march/culture_64_07.html http://www.amway.com/about-amway/our-company/heritage?aid=About+Amway-Our+Company-Heritage

Responsibilities of Change Leaders

If change is to become part of the culture of an organization, then change leaders must take the necessary steps to ensure success. Without these steps change may not be lasting and end up being a fad. Schools are actively changing organizations. There are so many internal and external factors that affect it that there is always some change that is taking place. I would like to discuss such a change that took place in my school. I will look at the six responsibilities of leaders (Beach, 2006) to evaluate the change process.

Assessment

The purpose of any school is to provide a quality education and its prime responsibility is to ensure that students have opportunities to learn. If there are factors that are affecting the learning process then they need to be dealt with. For the past three years, our school has been exploring brain based learning. As the brain in seventy eight percent water dehydration impairs “attention, critical thinking, learning and memory” (Jensen,2007, 73,).  It was decided by the administration that students needed to drink water to increase student performance. The brain based approach emphasizes much on water and there are many studies to support this. The administration used this “to create a sense of rational for the change process (Dr. Bligh)

Culture

The school believes that students need to stay in class to learn. There has been a system in place for many years that allows students to leave class, in emergency situations, with a green hall pass.  This system is part of the schools culture and every teacher follows this system. New staff members are also made aware of this. This has also been built into our teacher appraisal system i.e. when an evaluator is present, they will watch how many students leave the classroom and why.  With new initiative, some changes would need to be made to the culture.

Vision

There were many meetings and professional development sessions associated with brain based learning and each one reinforced the same idea: a dehydrated brain performs poorly. The majority of teachers all understood and accepted the need for change.  There were some that were skeptical of the whole idea but played along as administrators created minor levels of anxiety by saying that they would note this during walk through evaluations. (Hitt, Miller & Colella, 2009)  

Plan

With the new knowledge, the administration knew it had to make changes to the hall pass system. Teachers were told that if students needed to drink water then they should be issued with a hall pass to allow them to do that. Hall monitors and Assistant Principals would monitor students to ensure discipline. Water bottles would be provided by the Principal on state test days. The library, cafeteria and vending machines would sell bottled water to the students.

Implementation

At first, things went smoothly. It seemed the change was a success. Teachers were issuing hall passes to students who wanted or needed water. Hall monitors and APs were making sure that discipline was kept at all times. The administrators walked through classrooms to make sure teachers allowed students to access water during the period. 

The problems first started with business classes. Normally these classes did not any liquid into their classes as spillage on the equipment would be problematic. With the new vision in place, they were told to follow suit. Students started bringing water bottles into the classes and within the first week water spillage had caused damage to some equipment. In other parts of the school, water bottles and lids were littering hallways and classrooms. Teachers were complaining that they were spending a lot of time picking up bottles and lids. Some students were constantly keeping them in their mouths like feeding bottles, which was becoming a distraction. Teachers felt that they spent more time writing passes than teaching. The other major problem was that some students would ask for a hall pass to go to the water fountain and instead meet up with friends in the hallway. Increase water consumption also increased restroom breaks. Due to these physical altercations between students increased, especially in restrooms where APs and hall monitors were not present.

Institutionalizing

The change never reached this point. Within a few weeks, administrators made the announcement that hall passes would again be kept to a minimum; students would not be allowed out of the classroom unless it was an emergency. Although, the administration did not admit it openly, the teachers “read between the lines for real messages and their true intent” (Lee, 2008, 24).  Teachers understood the change to be a failure. Students were not allowed to leave the classroom to drink water. The problem with the water bottles was deemed a classroom management issue and teachers were left to deal with it.

How could the above situation improve?

I believe the change was valid and necessary. I think the problem was with the plan and the implementation. Firstly, students should have been reminded that they need to drink water between passing periods. As each period is only 50 minutes, students do not need to take water into classrooms with electrical equipment. There should a recycling bin, for plastic bottles, available in the hallways and classrooms. In the classroom, students should be told to keep their water bottles in their back packs and should only take them out when necessary. Every teacher should ensure before the end of class that all trash has been taken care of. Administrators can provide incentive to senior students for taking responsibility of the trash i.e. a contribution, from the Principal, to the prom fund.

I think the administration should have had “periodic team meetings” (Anderson, 2010) with department heads to see how the change was progressing and to give feedback from teachers about making changes to the plan.

I think when a change fails and the leaders do not attempt to acknowledge the failure, it creates resistance for any future changes. I think it is very important for leaders to admit failure and propose alternative plan (Beach, 2006). In this case the administration should have looked at the failing aspects of the plan and made changes.

Would anybody have taken a different approach?

 Please note: water in the classroom was just a small component of the brain based learning initiative. There were many other changes that were more successful and our administration does a wonderful job with many changes. I picked this one to discuss this week as it highlights some problems with change in organization.

Beach, L. R. (2006). Leadership and the art of change: a practical guide to organizational transformation. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

Behavior: A Strategic Approach (2nd ed.) by Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. Copyright 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Jensen, E. (2007). Introduction to brain-compatible learning(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lee, T. J. (2008). Actions speak loudly. Communication World, 25(4), 24–28. 

Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change by Anderson, D. L. Copyright 2010 by Sage Publications,

Video Program: “Sustaining Change” Dr. Michelle Bligh